Revision

Once upon a time, I jumped into the air from a board with a fulcrum that threw me into the air so I could turn sommersaults. I must have done thousands of dives in the four years I spent on the diving team. I only clearly remember the one where I hit my head on… Read more

Soulbooks Last week I was too busy managing Quinton and his mound of glitter on his SoulBook to take pictures of our group for you. (The meeting before I have no excuse. I guess I was just focused on living in the moment.) Fortunately, Billie Jo has done an excellent job of sending me photos… Read more

“How’s the writing going?” People ask me this often and I try not to dread the question. But I sometimes do. No matter how you slice it, I’ve been writing for years–decades even. I began journaling and making stories just for myself since I first learned to write and then writing with an idea about… Read more

The other day my son said, “You know you’ve got a LOT of books on writing on your bookshelf. Have you read all of those?” Mostly, I told him. (He wasn’t particularly impressed — just astounded that I could stay focused for that long on reading books about putting words on paper.) And he doesn’t even… Read more

I am stuck. I have a deadline of May 19th to finish revising my novel and it won’t let me move forward. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten side tracked with writing for the band I play with. Maybe it’s because the day job has been especially demanding lately. Maybe it’s because the cottonwood covering the… Read more

“You know all those paintings your mother makes and then throws out?” My sister and I nodded as my dad said this. We knew. “Well, I pulled a few out of the garbage and stuck them up in the attic. Remember to get them out of there when I die so she doesn’t toss them.” I understand why… Read more

I often think of decoding grammar as piecing together a giant word filled jigsaw puzzle. A thousand pieces to put together on a kitchen table is really not so daunting compared to the complex ways English and other languages fit together, moving with our new ideas and needs for communication. The analogy somehow helps me… Read more

The Week after NaNo

In the days and now a week after NaNoWriMo, I’ve set the novel almost completely aside. I say almost because I’d be fibbing if I said it wasn’t on my mind. It lurks back there and pesters me with ideas about how it could be better. It also growls sometimes about how painful it will… Read more

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